Selective signaling system.



' A.w. JONES. SELECTIVE SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MA: 8, 1906.

Patented May 11, 1909.

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JlriihurW. Jones. *wfiwlf Wiifnesses: I Q 9% I my.

UNITED STATES PArE T OFFICE. I

- ARTHUR w. JONES,

OF SOHENECTADY, NEW-YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC 1 COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW, YORK. I

SELECTIVE SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1 1, 190a.

Application filed May 8, 1906. Serial No. 316,751.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. JoNEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, countyof Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Selective Signaling Systems,,of which the following is a specifi-';

so thatliyfsending a, redetermined number of impulses over a con uctor fromthe central station all the devices will be moved a pre-. determined distance; this movement putting one of the signals into condition foroperation from the central station.

invention consists in the combination in such asyste'mof was connecting all thestations and' normally. carrying "current; devices at the'several stations arranged to he moved stepfhy-step by impulses of mcreased current-strength in the :W1I'6 and mcans'for but-are, ac

actuating the signals upon a failure of current in that wire; 111 this mariner-,while the Sig-'- nals are selectively controllable from the central station, they areall automatically put at stop position upon a failure of the signal apparatus,so that accidents dueto such failure are prevented. 1

' My inventionafurther consistsin employing the same Wire which has been usednheretofore for conveying the impulses to, the selective devices as the, wire. which normally carries "current.- Thus, I amenabled to obtain the desired resultsuwithout employing an addi-;

tional wire-between stations. For this p'ur-J osalarrange the. electrical operating means or the selective devices so that they donot respond to thecurrentnormally in the wire, ed Qty-sending impulses of in 'trengthoverthe wire.

rthe consists in providing onn ecting the wire secondf'source ofcur- 'i-stisource should faiLzj 'vention will. best be understood by which shows diagrammatlca y a selective signal system arranged in accordance with my invention.

In the drawing A represents the sending station and B one of the receiving stations,

which may be one of a number of stops along an electric railway, for instance. At each signal station there is provided a step-bystep device, such for instance, as the ratchet Wheel (land the spring-actuated pawl D 0perated by the electro-magnet E.

13 re res'entsa toothed Wheel which is adjustab y secured to the ratchet wheel C and carries the arm g This arm 9 carries a con tact G, which, when the ratchet wheel has been moved a distance of threeteeth at this contact, H.

I represents a held atfclear position by-the lock 'i-and the slow actinglocking magnet J.

7.0 particularstation, engages the stationaryfj signal counter-weighted to- 1 f .go to danger when released and normally K represents a magnet controlled b "the I switch contact G,-1normally deenergize but adapted when its circuit is closed to over- 1 powerthe looking magnet J, so as to release the .si nal.

L, land L.are line wiresconnectingthe I sending-station" with the several receiving stations... .'I=he.lines L and -L normally carry current at comparativel low voltage, While the lme-wireL is norma y deenergized. At

the sending-stationis a'source of current M; which is connected across the lme-w res Lf and Il -through the resistance N the magnet O and the switch P! The resistance N Is'so designed-withrespect tothe resistance of the several magnets connected to the line; that the voltage across the line-wires L and L is a v comparatively low. For instance; if .the

generator M is arrangd to give five hundred volts,' tl 1e resistance N might' be arranged normall to consume fourhundred volt's m ohmic rop. The remaining hundred. volts energize lockinagnet J to sustain the locki,

but insufficient toZ-energizemagnet'E to draw up? the 'panel Dagainst the tension of the Y spring. The magnetQ, in series-withthe ranged to give one-hundred volts so that I when out into circuit on the failure of generator M, it will maintain the normal voltageon tl line-wires If and L until the generator i is a ain ready for service.

The selective switci device comprises a pivoted arm carrying a contact S, which is adapted to engage successively the contacts 1,2 and 3, etc., as the arm is rotated. It will be seen that when contact S is in engagement with any one 0t these contacts it shortcircuits resistance N, lso as to im ress the full voltage of the source M upon t e line-wires L and L. In this manner a series of im, pulses of increased current-strength is sent over the line, so that the magnets E, which are designed. not to respond to the low voltage normally on the line, are actuated by the increased voltage, -so as to move the ratchet wheel 0 as many teeth as the number of contacts 1, 2, 3, etc. successively engaged by contact 5. If, fdr instance, the contact G, which is dil'lerently arranged at the several receiving-stations, is so arranged at station B as to engage dontac't ll when ratchet wheel C is moved a distance of three teeth, then when contact Si-has reached contact 3, contact G will bei ,engagement with contact H at station B; lat the other stations it will not have reached, or will have passed contact ll. N w if, while contacts G and ll are in engagement, the spring-actuated contact 'l. pressed radially inward, so as to engage the contact striip U, a circuit will be closed from riglrt-haIid terminal of generator M through contacts 'l and U, to line-wire L,

thence through magnet K at station B and contacts II and G, tol1ne-wrre L and to the leit-hand terminal oflthe generator. Magnet K at station B is consequently energized,

and has been said lj'ieretofore, is so arranged to over-power lock magnet J and to cause latch t to drop and signal I to be moved to danger by the counter-weight. In this manner any signal of the system may be set at danger fronrthe central station, so as to stop car at any point on the road.

It will. be understood that the conductor of a car, after being stopped by a signal at danger and communicating with the sendingstation by telephone, restores the signal to itsclear position before proceeding. Consequently, no automatic devices for returning the si nal are shown.

It will e seen that if the apparatus should at any time breakdown so asto denergize the line-wires L and L, to render impossible the control of the signals from the central station, all the slow-acting lock-magnets J would be denergi'zed so as to place all signals on the road at stb -position. In this way,

possible accidentsf us to failure of apparatus are prevented, but in order to prevent unnecessary interruption of traflic from such causes as the blo'win" of a circuit-breaker or other incidents of ii e nature which might temporarily cutjoi f the line-wires from the source of current, I utilize the battery R and the automatic switch Q controlled by the magnet O to keep the signals at clear position until the generator M is again ready for use. a

All the signals may be put at stop 1position, when the generator M is being user y opening the switch P, or when the battery R is being used, by opening the switch V.

I have not considered it necessary to indicate in the drawings or to describe any return signal device, such as isfrequcntly employed in systems of this character, because such devices are well known in the art, and any suitable form of device may be used. Furthermore, it will be understood'that my invention is applicable to signal systems employing any well known type of selective device, and consequently I'do not desire to limit myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts here shown, but aim in the ap ended claims to cover all modifica- *Egions w iich are within the scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to Sean re by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. In a selective signaling system, a plurality of signal stations, a wire connecting said stations and normally carrying current, selective signal-controlling devices at the several stations, means at the several stations for moving said devices ste -by-step responsive to impulses of increase( current-strength in said wire, and means for actuating all the signals upon a total failure of current in said wire.

2. In a selective signaling system, a plu rality of signal stations, signal devices adapted when released to move automatically to stop position, a wire connecting said stations am normally carrying current, electro-magnets at the several stations connected to said wire and normally lockin r the signal devices at clear position, and e ectrically-actuated Step-by-step devices adapted to-unlock said signals selectively.

3. In a selective signaling system, a plurality of signal stations, signal devices adapted when released to mov e automatically to stop-position, a wire connecting said stations and normally carrying current, electro-magnets at the several stations connected to said wire and normally locking the si nal devices at clear position, selective signa controlling devices at the several stations, and electromagnets connected to said wire adapted to move said selective devices step-by-step upon i1 npulses of increased current strength in said wire.

4. In a selective signaling system, a plurality of signal stations, signal devices adapted when released to move automatically to sto -position, a wire. connecting said stations an normally carrying current, electro-magnets at the several stations connected to said wire and normally locking the signal devices at clear position, step-by-step devices at the several stations, actuating electro-magnets for said step-by-step devices connected to said wire and res onsive to impulses of increased current. t erein, and means selectively controlled by said step-by-step devices for unlockin the several signals.

5. In a se ective signaling system, asend- .in'g station, a pluralit of receiving-stations,

signal devices at t e receiving-stations adapted to move to stop-position when released, a wire connecting said stations, means at the sending station for normally maintaming a voltage'on said wire, electro-magnets at the receivin stations connected to said wire' and norma y locking said si nal devices inclear position, and means w ereby said devices may be selectively unlocked from the sending station.

6. In a selective signaling system, a sending station, a plurality of receiving stations,

signal devices at the receiving stations adapted to move to stop position when released, a wire connecting said stations. means at the sending station for normally maintaining a voltage on said wire, electro-magnets at the receiving stations connected to said wire' and normally locking said signal devices in' clear position, means at the sending station for increasing the voltage on said wire at will, and selective signal+controlling means at the receiving stations connected to said wire and responsive to impulses of increased volta e.

7. In a selective signaling system, ap urality of signal stations, selective signal con trolling devices at the several stations, electro-responsive means for moving said devices 'step-by-step, a wire connecting said stations, a source of current normally connected to said wire; means for actuating all the signals upona failure current in said wire, a second source of current, and means for automatically connectin said second source to said wire upon a failiire of the first source.

8. In a selective signaling system, a plurality of signal stations, selective signal-controlling devices at the several stations, electro-responsive means for-moving said devices step-by-step, a wire connecting said stations, a source of current normally connected to said wire, means for actuating all the signals upon a failure of current in said wire, a sec-' switches are included, and a controller for setting said switches in operation, said switches being so adjusted relatively, to each other that but one signal can be set by the controller at a' given time. l

10. In a system of the character described, a plurality of track signals, normally energized electro-magnets adapted to lock said signals at safety position, selective signal switches each --'comprising an electricall actuated step-by-step mechanism, a singe line circuit in which said ma nets and switches are included, and means or actuating the said mechanism of a given switch to effect the release of the corresponding si al.

1-1. In a system of the character descri ed, the combination of a pluralityof signals, normally energized electro-magnets ada ted to hold said signals at safety position, so ective signal switches comprising a ratchet wheel, a single line circuit in which said magnets and switches are included, and means to feed a given wheel "a predetermined distance to eiiect the setting ofthe corresponding signal. v

In witness whereof, I have hereunto. set my hand this 7th day of May, 1906.

ARTHUR W. JONES. Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. H LL, HELEN ORFoRn. 

